Day 1: Arrival In Lima

Day 2: Cusco Walking Tour

Assistance with early morning check-in for one hour flight to Cusco. Airport reception and transfer to your hotel. Afternoon half-day guided orientation of ancient Inca temples, Spanish churches and the ruins of Sacsayhuaman. Our guide will also direct you to shops, museums, markets and restaurants where you can shop, dine and explore on your own. Overnight at the Casa Andina Private Collection Cusco.

Note: Optional upgrade at an additional cost to luxury Orient Express Monasterio Hotel or La Casona a restored 400 year old former monastery.

Day 3: Chinchero, Moray & Maras

Begin your exploration of the Sacred Valley with a visit to the town of Chinchero, believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow and sacred to the Incas. The main plaza at the top of the town offers beautiful views; on a clear day the Cordillera Vilcabamba and the snow-capped peak of Salkantay dominate the western horizon. Visit the marketplace, (busiest on a Sunday and one of the best in the Andes) and a women’s weaving co-op where you can observe traditional dying techniques and possibly taste cuy, the regional specialty! Enjoy a picnic lunch then continue on to archaeological site of Moray, believed to be an experimental greenhouse for the Incas, and the colorful salt pools at Maras. There is an optional easy but scenic hike down through the salt pools that takes you to the valley floor. Return to Cusco for overnight at the Casa Andina Private Collection.

Day 4: Cachora—Chikisa

Leaving Cusco we drive north through an agricultural valley before descending into Limatambo where we visit the Inca site of Tarawasi. The road continues until we reach the Apurimac River, an impressive gorge. Pass the village of Curawasi and continue to the Sayhuite – a massive stone carving considered by some to represent a map of the Inca empire. A small side road over a ridge brings us down to the village of Cachora where we start today’s hike. Here we will meet the rest of our trekking crew who carry our bags and camping gear. Carrying just our day packs, we start walking along an easy undulating trail along the edge of the mountain. At Capuliyoc we get our first view of the Apurimac canyon with the snow- capped mountain peaks of Nevada Padreyoc Qoriwayrachina and the trail that lies ahead. Overnight at camp.

Day 5: Chikiska—Maranpata—Choquequirao

Crossing the fast-moving Apurimac River marks the start of the big day ascending 4757’ by the river to our Choquequirao base camp at 10,170’.*The ascent begins with a switchback trail slowly making uphill progress to a small meadow where we have lunch. As we ascend on the steep trail we begin to appreciate the lush sub-tropical vegetation on both sides of the Apurimac canyon. The afternoon hike is not as steep as we approach the hanging valley where the site of Choquequirao is found. We camp at a flat area called Marampampa. From our base camp we begin to explore the isolated Inca sites and the surrounding Andean cloud forest. We can also enter the main plaza of Choquequirao where we can appreciate a group of terraces with rock-carved llama figures called the 'Llamas of the Sun'. Overnight at camp.

Day 6: Choquequirao

We spend the day exploring the Choquequirao complex and some of the outlying buildings. Choquequirao is built on both sides of the Apu Corihuayrachina (“Apu” means sacred peak in Quechua) and requires time to walk throughout the terracing and understand the integrity of its complexity. During the day keep an eye out for condors flying over the deep canyon. Overnight at camp.

Day 7: Apurimac Valley—Villa Loros

Early morning departure to start our descent towards Playa San Ignacio for approximately 4 hours. The first part downhill is mild, but as the trail it winds down the steep slope. We continue towards Playa San Ignacio at 5,000’ elevation where the trail starts going up again until reaching the former Hacienda San Ignacio another 800’ higher for another hour of steep trail until reaching El Carmen Bridge. In another 45 minutes we reach the Villa Los Loros Lodge where we will spend the night deep in the forest surrounded by rushing waters of the high Andes. This ecosystem is habitat for a great variety of birds such as the white-winged black-tyrant, many hummingbirds, and parrots including macaws. Overnight at Villa Los Loros Lodge.

Day 8: Ollantaytambo—Machu Picchu

After breakfast we take a scenic drive to Ollantaytambo (5 hours) where we have lunch in this last still- living Inca town before taking the afternoon train to Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. Overnight at the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.

Option Inca Trail Express Extension: Depending on permit availability, it is possible to spend the night in Ollantaytambo and add a second day to trek the 1-day Inca Trail Express Hike which follows the last section of the traditional Inca Trail and enters Machu Picchu through Intipunku, or the Gate of the Sun. Cost per person (including additional overnight in Sacred Valley) is $300 based on two people.

Day 9: Cusco

Be among the first to arrive at Machu Picchu on the early shuttle bus. Our guide accompanies us on a private tour throughout the principal temples and important sectors of Machu Picchu leaving you free to photograph and explore on your own time. Enjoy contemplating, exploring and photographing the most impressive archaeological monument in South America on your own time wandering through the mysterious maze of streets and stone buildings in this magnificent citadel. Late-afternoon return on the Pullman train to a station in the Urubamba Valley where we transfer to a private vehicle back to Cusco arriving by evening to our hotel. Includes bus tickets up and down the mountain, lunch, entrance fee and return first-class reserved train ticket. Overnight at the Casa Andina Private Collection.

Day 10: Lima & Departure

Transfer to Cusco airport for flight to Lima. Airport reception and transfer in to Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection in Miraflores to use as a day room until your evening flight.

Note: Optional half-day tour of colonial Lima and its museums available upon request. Observe the blend of cultures in one of South America’s oldest capital cities on a tour of the old colonial center of downtown Lima, the church and catacombs of San Francisco and the cathedral of Lima. The most comprehensive museums in Lima that feature Peru’s archaeological heritage are the Gold Museum and the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology. We can also arrange a special farewell dinner at one of Lima’s premier Nuevo Andino restaurants before you depart.